Candice Malcolm: Canadians are right to be concerned about border security

(This column originally appeared in the Toronto Sun)

There is a crisis on our southern border. And Canadian officials seem woefully unprepared to deal with the ongoing flow of migrants illegally crossing into Canada.

These illegal crossings create a real security threat, and Canadians are not happy about it.

An Angus Reid poll is the latest to convey this, finding that nearly three-quarters of Canadians prefer a focus on border security rather than providing aid to those illegally crossing into Canada.

There is near unanimous agreement on the fact that these migrants pose a threat to our national security. Of those surveyed, half say the risk of dangerous people entering Canada is ‘significant’ or ‘huge,’ while 93% agreed there is some level of risk.

Canadians are right to be concerned about the self-proclaimed and self-selected refugees coming in through the back door.

This asylum seeker knew exactly what he was doing. He knew that if he entered Canada at an official crossing, he would be met by a CBSA officer. The CBSA guard would be able to determine his admissibility to Canada, and has the power to reject him on the spot.

At a land crossing away from a border station, however, there are no CBSA guards – just RCMP officers who have been sent to patrol the border.

This man has clearly been coached. Someone told him exactly where to go and what to say to enter Canada. And it worked. Not only did this man circumvent our immigration laws, he also bypassed our Syrian refugee program.